Michele Bachmann's foes have book of their own

Three writers based their book on
about 6,000 blog posts about
Bachmann, dating to 2004. (Courtesy photo)

As Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann tours the nation promoting her new memoir, three local writers are hitting the market this week with a book that offers a totally different picture of the 6th District congresswoman's life.

The title sums up their point of view: "The Madness of Michele Bachmann: A Broad-Minded Survey of a Small-Minded Candidate."

The book by Ken Avidor and Eva Young of Minneapolis and Karl Bremer of Stillwater is a distillation of more than 6,000 blog posts that the trio has written since 2004 on their "DumpBachmann.com" website. It was scheduled to hit bookshelves Tuesday.

Avidor said the idea of compiling their blogs into a book came from publisher John Wiley & Sons. After laboring in obscurity for years, he said the authors were eager to expose the dirt they have dug up on Bachmann to a national audience.

"It has always been our goal to remove her from office," Avidor said.

But he and Bremer insisted the book isn't a partisan hatchet job. Avidor noted the book criticizes Democrats, such as U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken and Gov. Mark Dayton, as well as Republicans.

Bremer challenged anyone who thinks it's a malicious attack to "find fault with our facts." While they focus on the congresswoman's worst flaws, he said they are accurately depicted.

"Everybody knows about her gaffes, her stupid remarks and some of her wacky positions," he said, "but I think we go a little bit further into some of her abuse of public office to promote herself, her lying and her lack of representation of her district.

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The Bachmann campaign did not respond to a Pioneer Press request for comment.

The new book focuses on a handful of Bachmann's policy positions, including her crusade against same-sex marriage, what the authors depict as her antagonism toward public schools and her "faith-based agenda."

There's not much new information in that part of the book, Avidor acknowledged, but it calls attention to some of her "extreme" views that the national news media have neglected.

A large chunk of the book is devoted to what Avidor called her "association with criminals."

One chapter details the big campaign contributions she received from Frank Vennes Jr., a convicted money launderer for whom Bachmann sought a presidential pardon - before he was charged this year with fraudulent fundraising in Tom Petters' Ponzi scheme.

Another chapter zeroes in on her political donations from "Bobby Thompson," the head of a nationwide Navy veterans group that collected more than $1 million in Minnesota, ostensibly to help vets, and lavished thousands of dollars on GOP candidates before he disappeared after attorneys general across the country started investigating whether his organization was legitimate. Thompson contributed $10,000 to Bachmann to attend a 2010 Minneapolis fundraiser with her and Sarah Palin.

The authors don't allege that Bachmann broke the law, but Avidor said her campaign's acceptance of money from the donors "explains what's broken in our political system."

Ironically, the authors' book sales are likely tied to Bachmann's political success. If she does well in the Iowa caucuses next month and becomes a top-tier contender for the GOP nomination, interest in their book probably would soar. But if her campaign flames out in Iowa, their book sales probably would plummet.

"It would be nice to sell more books," Bremer said, "but I'd be happy to see her come back to Minnesota dragging her tail between her legs after January."

Avidor agreed. "If the book does well, that's fine. But if she fades into obscurity, that's really what I'd like," he said.

Bachmann's own book, "Core of Conviction: My Story," went on sale the week of Thanksgiving.